Zilla babus to upgrade to laptops, new office

East Singhbhum zilla parishad members will get a swanky office by year-end and high-end laptops by May.

All 23 zilla parishad (district council) members will get branded laptops by May-end from the state panchayati raj department.

What’s more, these laptop-toting rural functionaries will, in a matter of months, get a double-storey office building in Sakchi in place of their cramped single-storey building. The infrastructure will cost Rs 45 lakhs.

At present, space crunch forces most meetings of the district council to be held at the collectorate. The new building promises more space and luxury, including air-conditioning as well as add-ons such as a kitchen. “We have funds ready and construction will begin in May last week. The engineering cell of the panchayat building will oversee the work. The building will be ready by year-end,” said district engineer S.K. Vidyarthi.

Zilla parishad members, however, are excited about the laptops. Member and BJP leader Raj Kumar Singh said laptops would help them “keep tab on the development work”. How tech-savvy they are remains to be seen.